Frequently asked questions

1.            What is the price of your puppies?

A:  The majority of my pet puppies sell for $600 to $800. Puppies that are sold as show/breeding potential start at $1000 but may be up to $1500 for a 10 week old puppy. Older puppies may be higher.

2.            How do you determine at what price you sell a puppy?

A: Puppies are evaluated from birth for breed characteristics, general appearance, temperament, and personality. Those that show outstanding traits are grown out as show/breeding potential.  Those that have average characteristics and some faults are sold as companions not to be bred.

3.            Why do quality puppies cost so much?

A:  I base my price on the quality and how much I have put into the litter. Genetic testing for the breeding stock, stud fees, travel, and vet care etc, has become very expensive. Hip x-rays and OFA certification for one dog is nearly $200. DNA testing for vWD is $140, eye certification is $35 per dog, Stud fees run from $400 up then you add travel or shipping plus the cost of the Brucellosis test at $40 and sometimes progesterone levels at $65 each (usually times 3 tests) that the stud owner requires and you can see how the cost of producing a litter of high quality pups can be very expensive. This doesn't even take into consideration the initial purchase price of the parent, which can be as little as $800 to many thousands of dollars. People that buy pet quality dogs, do not show, do not do genetic testing, and breed their own 2 dogs together, can sell their pups for much less, but you get what you pay for. I know that the price of a pup is a lot but when you consider the amount of money spent to care for a pet properly, the initial purchase price is not that much. To properly care for a dog, it costs as much for a mixed breed as it does for a high quality purebred. If you can't afford the cost of a well-bred pup, you may not be able to afford to give proper care to any dog.  I hope I have helped you to understand what goes into the cost of breeding pups, and I hope that if you are interested in breeding that you will take this information seriously. Do the math and I think that you will see. For example the approximate costs:

Mother cost $800 up

OFA hips    $200

Eye exam    $ 35

Stud Fee    $ 400 up

Travel         $100

Brucellosis test 40

AKC litter papers 40

Food           $100

Shots            $ 45

Total            $1760

This does not take into consideration any vet bills due to illness or complications during the pregnancy and whelping, nor the cost of showing, advertising and promoting the parent. It also does not take into consideration puppy worming, feeding the pups, caring for sick pups, etc. If there are only 2 puppies born or that survive, you can see how the breeder will not be able to recoup the expenses of this litter. If the bitch fails to have puppies at all, the monetary loss is considerable!

4.            Do you guarantee your puppies?

A:  My pups are sold with a 72-hour health guarantee to give the buyer time to take the pup to the vet. If the vet finds a problem, the buyer can return the pup with a letter from the vet, for a full refund. Additionally, I guarantee the puppy for the first 3 years against genetic defects that result in; the puppy being unsuitable as a pet; the puppy’s death or required euthanasia.

5.            What makes a puppy pet quality?

A:   There are many factors that go into my decision to sell a puppy as a companion not to be bred. I endeavor to produce puppies with excellent temperaments that will be wonderful to own whether they go to a show, performance or companion home, but sometimes a pup is ideal for show except for temperament. It takes a rather bold, fearless temperament to do well in the show ring. Not all puppies that have the conformation for show have the temperament to go with it. Sometimes puppies have a very showy temperament but lack the outstanding conformation characteristics to make a successful show dogs. These pups are often ideal for performance. Sometimes, puppies are too small or too large for show but a well suited for performance or companion homes. Each puppy is an individual and is judged and placed on the basis of his or her merit.

6.            What do you require of the people that you sell puppies to?

A: The most important thing is the patience, love and desire to give the puppy a wonderful home. The new owner must protect and care for the pup, socialize and train it. Puppies are like toddlers and must be supervised and cared for properly to reach their full potential. If the buyer is getting a show prospect, they must agree to train, socialize, maintain ear training and make an honest effort to show the pup or put it with a handler if the pup fulfills it’s early promise. I feel that it is important that the pup have room to exercise properly in a safe environment like a fenced yard. The new owner is fully responsible for the care and well being of the puppy from the moment of purchase throughout the life of the puppy.

7.            Do you do genetic testing on your dogs?

A: All of my breeding stock is tested normal for hip dysplasia, eye disease, and von Willebrand’s Disease. 

8. What is hip dysplasia?

HIP DYSPLASIA


Hip dysplasia is a polygenic, hereditary, and developmental condition. It occasionally shows up in puppies as early as eight weeks, but more commonly cannot be detected until somewhere between four months and two years. It is apparently related in some way to the amount of inherited muscle mass around the hip joint as well as the actual bone formation, and it is also influenced by environmental factors such as too rapid growth rate, excess
weight, and poor diet. The hip joint is a ball and socket joint. The thigh bone of the dog has an offset protrusion at the top in the shape of a ball. Normally this ball fits into a socket in the pelvis and is held firmly in place by muscles and ligaments. Occasionally, however, the socket is not deep enough, or is improperly formed, thus allowing the thigh bone to slip. Other times the ball is not properly formed and does not fit well into the socket. This is hip dysplasia.
A Sheltie may go through life with a very mild degree of hip dysplasia that is noticeable only as a sort of hitch in his rear gait, or he may occasionally suffer a great deal of pain. If your Sheltie falls easily, sways from side to side when walking, or has noticeable difficulty getting up,
suspect dysplasia. There is no cure, although an operation can sometimes relieve the symptoms.

Diagnosis and the OFA

The only positive method of diagnosing hip dysplasia is by x-ray. This must be carefully done with the dog anesthetized and in an exact position. Even then, mild dysplasia can be difficult to diagnose. For this reason an organization called the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals
(OFA) was established for the purpose of checking and certifying dogs of all breeds for hip dysplasia. HD is another defect which cannot always be picked up in a young dog. If you want your dog certified, wait until he is two years old or over to have him x-rayed. Your
veterinarian will forward the x-ray films, along with an application form and fee, to OFA. There the x-ray will be identified, given an application number, inspected for quality,
and sent to three different veterinary radiologists for diagnosis. A report based on their findings will be sent to the owner and to the veterinarian who took the x-rays.
In 1974 OFA adopted the following method of classifying hip dysplasia:
1. Excellent conformation.
2. Good conformation.
3. Fair conformation.
4. Borderline conformation/Intermediate.
5. Mild degree of dysplasia.
6. Moderate degree of dysplasia.
7. Severe degree of dysplasia.
More information about OFA may be obtained by writing
them at University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201.


Inheritance

Being polygenic in mode of inheritance, hip dysplasia is difficult to breed out of a line or a breed of dogs. Many genes are involved, and alt must occur in a dog before the condition is expressed. Non-dysplastic Shelties may not have any of the genes for dysplasia, or the genes for the defect may be present but not in the right combination to allow the defect to be expressed. The latter may produce dysplastic puppies if mated with another carrier. In order to consistently produce dysplasia-free Shelties, you must know that the defect was not present in the ancestors of a dog (or the litter mates of those ancestors) for at least three to six generations. This, of course, is a tremendous undertaking, and without the cooperation of breeders in obtaining certification and making this information available, it is impossible.

9.    Are there additional costs to buying the puppy?

A: One of my least favorite things about raising puppies is shipping. If their is any other way to get a pup to it's new home, I try and work that way out. I have to date been fortunate, in that all of the pups I have shipped have been transported safely and have arrived without problems. None have suffered any trauma from being shipped. This may not always be the case. There will probably come a time when something goes wrong. I carefully screen the people that are purchasing my pups and take great care to insure that the best home for any particular pup will be found before the pup leaves my home. If the puppy is to be shipped, the purchaser is responsible for the cost of shipping, a crate, a health certificate and any additional expenses involved in transport. To register the puppy with AKC, the cost is $15.

10.      What is limited registration?

A:    Limited registration is used in conjunction with a spay/neuter contract for puppies that are being sold as pets only and not for breeding. If a dog is bred that has limited registration, the puppies are not AKC registerable. In my contract, I allow puppies to be re-evaluated at one year, prior to spay/neuter, for quality and breeding quality. If the puppy has exceeded it’s early promise and is found to be of good breeding quality, the limited registration can be reversed at the owner’s expense. The owner will pay the difference between pet and breeding quality and agree to abide by the breeder’s contract for breeding quality dogs.

11.      What if my show/breeding puppy turns out to be pet quality?

A:   With acceptable proof, I will refund to pet price, a $200 refund or more on a case by case basis, once the puppy is spayed or neutered.   

12.  Why do you co-own breeding/ show prospects?

A:   The co-ownership is temporary and lasts only until the puppy has had prelim hip x-rays and eyes checked. Once the tests are complete and normal, I will sign off as co-owner. If the tests are not normal, the puppy must be spayed or neutered. I will refund to pet price and sign off as co-owner with proof that the puppy is altered.

Please feel free to call or email me if you have questions that I have not answered. I hope that the information above will help you to understand my policies and breeding program.

devjoy@planters.net

Phone number (912) 863-5767

Every Eye

"All creatures great and small, the Lord God created them all."

Sylvania is located 70 miles NW of Savannah, Georgia.